


all my walls stood tall painted blue

by vineyardfic



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cisgirl Harry, Cisgirl Louis, F/F, Gender or Sex Swap, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-07 21:47:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1914990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vineyardfic/pseuds/vineyardfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>for a long time, louis felt like she's just been standing still. harry reminds her what it feels like to let go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	all my walls stood tall painted blue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rimmingkink](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rimmingkink/gifts).



> so i was pretty liberal with the prompt (which was quite open-ended anyway) but i hope you all enjoy. thanks so much to everyone who helped me write thing, you're all amazing. title taken from taylor swift's 'everything has changed'.

Louis wakes up to her alarm blaring and the sound of thunder outside her window. Never the type to get out of bed until she absolutely has to, it seems like today that has come to bite her in the ass. Groaning, she rolls over to growl her frustration into her pillow. Rain means the busses will be running slow, which gives her even less time to get ready for work than usual. 

So much for breakfast.

With no time for a shower, Louis dresses quickly. A pair of skinny jeans are unearthed from the depths of her closet and she forgoes a bra in exchange for a bandeau worn under an oversized tank top with armholes down to the bottom of her ribs (it's probably Niall's, actually; she has a nasty habit of borrowing his clothes). Her makeup takes the longest, a full ten minutes that she really doesn't have to spare, but she hates it when her eyes don't match.

When she heads out the door it's with a thermos of coffee in hand and her backpack slung over her shoulder, raincoat on with the hood pulled up over her snapback. Her umbrella had disappeared ages ago and she kept meaning to buy a new one but something always came up.

Avoiding the puddles in the sidewalk because she'd forgotten to put on socks, Louis barely makes it to the stop on time.

The bus is packed when she gets on and, by the time it comes to a stop in front of the garage, Louis is sweating under her layers. The doors are already open, a few cars waiting in the lot. The irony doesn't escape her - working part-time at an auto shop with no car of her own.

Louis has been working here three years since she dropped out of school, part-time because she isn't actually certified. But she's been working on cars since she was old enough to grip a wrench, tucked up against her father's hip as he explained the various parts of an engine. He'd always wanted a son but got five daughters instead. Louis did her best to make up for that, but in the end it wasn't enough.

 

"You’re late," Liam says, standing behind the customer service counter as she walks in. He doesn't even look up from the stack of paperwork he's flipping through.

"And you could've given me a ride this morning, asshole," Louis says, flipping him the middle finger as she walks past him to their poor excuse for a break room. It's more of a reappropriated storage closet, really, just big enough to fit a two-seated couch and what serves as a coffee table with a rack of coat hooks against the wall and a microwave and a hotplate in the corner.

Shrugging off and hanging up her coat, Louis pulls her coveralls out of her bag and steps into them, not bothering to do them up past the waist. God, she hates morning shifts. It's always so slow, nothing to do but wait.

When she gets back out into the shop there's a girl at the counter with Liam, long hair done up into a knot at the top of her head. She's wearing a _leather jacket_ and black skinny jeans with holes in the knees that Louis can see from across the room, worn out boots on her feet that look like they're on their very last leg.

"Lou," Liam calls out when he sees her, waving her over. "Did you finish up with that bike from Thursday?"

"Yeah, I cleared it with Bressie. Paperwork should be in there somewhere." Pulling the pile toward her once she reaches the counter, Louis flips through until she recognizes her own messy scrawl on one of the pages. "Might wanna get your eyes checked, Payno," she says as she hands it over.

He makes a face at her before turning back to the apparent owner of the black Kawasaki sitting in the back lot. Louis is only half listening as Liam goes through all the repairs; she's damned good at what she does but people always seem to find something to be concerned about once they realize that a _woman_ was the one to put their engines back together.

"So, all in all, the cost of parts and labour comes to $175," Liam's saying when she tunes back in. Louis braces herself, waiting for the inevitable objection--

"D'you take credit?" The girl is already reaching into her purse for her wallet, missing the shared look between Liam and Louis before he moves to finalize the transaction. 

"You don't even want to take a _look_ at it first? What if I’ve completely wrecked it?" Louis blurts out.

"Then I guess I’d have to sue," she says simply, dimple appearing in the corner of her smile. For all that she’s dressed like some kind of bad ass, she has a sweet face and big, kind eyes. Louis isn't usually the type to judge a book by it's cover, she knows better than most how annoying that can be, but looking at this girl she can't help but wonder how her demeanor and her appearance can be so at odds with each other.

"I need you to sign here," Liam cuts in, and Louis watches her sign her name without any kind of flourish - 'Harry Styles' right on the dotted line. "Louis, can you-?"

"Right, yeah. I'll go bring it in."

Outside, the rain isn't showing any sign of letting up and Louis frowns. This isn't exactly motorcycle-friendly weather. But she wheels the bike inside as instructed, still protected under the tarp. Harry and Liam make their way over and Louis pulls the covering away, rolling it up in a ball and tossing it aside as Harry crouches to get a better look.

"All set?" Liam asks.

"Yep, thank you."

Louis glances between the two of them, incredulous. "Hang on a second--"

Harry's eyes go wide at the sharpness in her tone as she slowly pushes back up to her feet.

"This is - you're joking, right? It's pissing buckets out there, you can't ride in this!" she's speaking to Harry but her eyes are on Liam because, really, he should know better.

He has the decency to look chagrined, mouth pulling into an apologetic frown as he looks over at Harry. "She’s right. I'm sorry, I didn't even think--"

"Its fine," she says, shaking her head. "I guess I’ll come back once the roads are dry."

Louis frowns, guilt and conviction at odds with each other. "I know this is probably a huge inconvenience, but really, it's for the best."

"No, no, you're right. I didn't think about that either, or I would have just waited in the first place. If anything, I should be thanking you."

"You’re welcome," Louis says. "Do you want us to call you a taxi or anything?"

"No, its fine, I’ll just get the next bus. You'll be open this evening, right? The roads should be clear by then."

"Yeah, we're open until nine o'clock," Liam says.

Harry nods slowly. "And-- what about you? Will you still be here?" she asks, and Louis feels her cheeks heat up. It’s been a long time since she’s encountered someone this bold, but for once it isn’t off-putting in the slightest.

"Uh, maybe? I don't usually work that long but I tend to stick around anyway."

"Okay. Great! I'll see you later," Harry says, and before Louis can respond she's already turning and walking away.

"Did that - did that _actually_ just happen?" Louis asks, walking around Harry's bike to retrieve the tarp she'd discarded earlier and pull it back over.

"Pretty sure, yeah. Also, you're on phones until Niall gets in."

 

 

Niall's shift doesn't start until two, so Louis spends most of her morning at the counter fielding query calls and making paper airplanes. Rain in California means people will inevitably forget how to drive, so it's no surprise that they're soon busy with fender benders Bressie tows in from the streets.

Louis' area of expertise is generally more internal but it's no hardship to sit and watch Niall work his magic once her own shift is over. She's meant to be learning from him, she knows, but it's much more fun to pelt chips at the back of his head and wait for the inevitable explosion once his patience runs out.

"Dammit, Lou!" he snaps, finally, reluctant grin spreading across his face when he turns to catch her beaming at him. "Go wait for your girlfriend somewhere else."

"She’s not my girlfriend," Louis huffs, crumpling up the empty chip bag and tossing it in the direction of the garbage bin. She misses, but Liam will pick it up later, it’s fine.

"So what are you still doing sitting around here, then? You usually can't wait to go home."

"That’s not true. Besides, it's raining and I don't want to take the bus again. If I stay I can annoy you into giving me a drive home."

"Uh huh," Niall says, unconvinced. Whatever, what does he know? Louis hasn't thought about Harry in about-- five minutes. Dammit.

The thing is, she's no stranger to getting hit on while she's working. Most of the time it's from men, guys who think she's 'too pretty to be getting her hands dirty' or some other kind of misogynistic bullshit. Rarer, it's from other women, which is always interesting even if it doesn't produce any results.

Because Louis never goes out with people who proposition her here. One way or the other, they've already got some idea of the type of person she's meant to be and if there's one thing she hates, it's expectations.

But Harry-- she hadn't even looked twice at her, at least not in any way that Louis noticed. She'd thrown Louis for a complete loop, and for the first time in a long time Louis has no idea what someone thinks of her.

 

  
"You stayed!" is the first thing Harry says when she turns up later that evening, smiling bright like Louis has done her some kind of personal favor.

"He’s kind of my ride home," Louis says, nodding in Niall's direction where he's finishing up the last of his reports.

Harry hums noncommittally, walks past Louis towards her bike without a word.

"I guess I was also a bit curious," Louis admits at last, following behind and rolling her eyes when Harry looks back at her with a smirk.

"Keys, please," is all Harry says, pulling the tarp from her bike and swinging a leg over to straddle the seat.

Louis holds them out, warm from where she'd kept them in her pocket for the last hour, and drops them into Harry's waiting palm. Harry's fingers close around them but she makes no move to start the ignition. She folds her arms over the handlebars instead, leaning forward to rest her chin on them.

"Have you ever wanted to just, run away?" she asks.

Louis blinks. "I guess? I think everyone does at some point."

"What about right now?"

"I - what?" Louis' voice jumps half an octave before she catches herself and drops back down into a whisper. "I don't even _know_ you," she hisses.

"Not yet, no." Harry's smile blooms slowly across her face as she sits up. "But you want to."

It takes a moment for Louis' brain to catch up with her mouth, lips shaping voiceless words. "I don't - does this ever actually work for you?"

"You tell me," Harry says. "This is the first time I’m trying it."

With anyone else, this would be the point where Louis checks out of the conversation completely but--

Harry's smile is unwavering, her eyes alight with a spark of mischief that Louis hasn't felt in a long time. And the thing is, she's not wrong. Louis feels caught, sucked right into Harry's orbit and she's burning up with all the curiosity trapped inside her chest.

"Where would we go?"

Harry claps her hands together, throws her head back as she laughs once in sheer delight. Folding her arms across her chest, Louis' mouth twists to hide her answering smile.

"Not far," Harry says. "A few friends of mine are staying at a resort down on the beach. They invited me to come with but then this happened--" she gestures to the bike under her, "-- so I had to put it off. Anyway, it's just for the weekend, not forever."

Louis wants to say yes. She can feel the words at the back of her throat but three years of being _stuck_ here has trampled all over her sense of adventure.

"Its fine, you don't have to say yes right now," Harry says, like she can see the indecision playing out inside Louis' head. "I’ll be here tomorrow morning, eight o'clock. You can tell me then." She reaches back for her helmet, like that's it, it's all settled.

"What if I say no?"

Fastening the catch under her chin, Harry smiles. "I don't think you will. Oh, and pack light!" Revving the engine, she winks once before turning away and peeling off into the night.

 

"What did she want?"

Louis jumps at the sound of Niall's voice, looking over as he comes to stand beside her. She's been in the same spot since Harry left, arms folded over her chest and staring out at the place she'd disappeared.

"She wants me to go away with her," Louis says, voice soft as she turns back to the traffic lights.

"She _what?_ " Niall laughs, incredulous. "Is she mad? You just met her."

"It’s just for the weekend. She has some friends staying by the beach; they invited her to come down."

"So you're going."

Louis looks up sharply. "I never said that."

The look Niall gives her, eyebrows arched high, makes her huff and turn away. "I don't know yet," she mutters, "she said she'd be back in the morning to pick me up. _If_ I even decide to go."

"Uh huh. Well, come on then."

"What?"

"I thought you wanted a ride home? I'm closing up now, so..."

Louis squints her eyes at him but his face doesn't give anything away. Niall has never been the type to pester, not the way Liam does, but this is still too easy.

It takes ten minutes for them to check that everything has been shut off and locked away, and then Louis is getting in the passenger's seat of Niall's SUV and they're driving back towards her apartment.

"So what time is she picking you up?"

Louis knew he was just waiting for a chance to strike.

"She said eight? And I never get up earlier than ten on my day's off," she adds, grumbling.

Niall just nods, doesn't say anything else on the subject until he's pulling into the visitor's parking lot.

"You can just drop me off at the door, y'know," Louis says, frowning.

"Nah, I’m coming up."

"What? Why? Aren't you supposed to _ask_ first?"

Cutting the ignition, Niall shrugs. "Gotta help you pack, you're fucking useless at it." He's out the door before Louis' even gotten her seatbelt off.

By the time she catches up to him, he's waiting by the doors. "I haven't even decided if I’m going yet, I don't need you to help me with anything."

"Louis. If you weren't going to go, you would have said so already."

He-- has a point. Her shoulders slump. "God, what am I doing?" she mutters, laughing a bit in disbelief.

"For what it's worth, I think it's a good idea."

"I - what? Why?"

Niall shrugs. "I saw the way you were looking at her; she's already under your skin. Louis I knew would have already ridden off into the sunset on the back of that bike."

"Are you saying I’m boring now?" Unlocking the door, she holds it open for him and leads the way to the elevators.

"No, shut up, of course not. You drive me up the fucking wall too much to ever be called boring."

"You say the sweetest things." Fluttering her eyelashes at him, Louis laughs when Niall shoves at her on his way out of the elevator.

Inside her apartment, she heads straight for her room after kicking off her boots and dropping her bag on the floor, and flops down on the bed. Niall snorts from the doorway, and when she looks up it's to find him staring at the clothes covering her floor in distaste.

"Fix your face, Horan. Are you gonna help me or not?"

"Yeah, alright. It's just the weekend right? And you're going to the beach so you just need like, a pair of shorts and a bikini."

Louis stares.

"What?"

"You know _nothing_ ," she sneers at him, before rolling over and getting to her feet.

She heads into her closet and, after a bit of digging, pulls out a rumpled canvas bag. Tossing it at him, she pulls three different pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans, and a skirt down from the top shelf.

"She didn't say if it was three days or two, so. At least one outfit per day, plus something nice if I need to dress up and something for if it gets cold."

Niall holds out a hand to stop her. "You only need _one_ more pair of shorts if you're gonna be wearing ones tomorrow. Keep the skirt but ditch the jeans for sweats, and you can wear them to sleep, too."

"I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

 

By the time Louis has finished combing through her entire wardrobe, they've amassed a small mountain of clothes and shoes on her bed.

"There’s no way all this shit is gonna fit, Lou."

"Well, find a way," she snaps. "Isn’t that what you're here for?"

Niall doesn't rise to the bait, rolling his eyes as he sits next to the pile and starts sorting through it. "Go grab whatever shit from the bathroom you aren't going to need in the morning, I’ll figure this out."

Louis swears, ignores the way Niall snickers under his breath as she rushes into the bathroom to do as she's told. They're staying at a resort so they probably have like, towels and stuff at least, right? But that still leaves shampoo and lotion and - fuck, all her makeup. There's no way everything will fit.

What is she even doing? Running off with some stranger with a nice smile and dimples like she's eighteen again and falling in love for the first time.

Running her hands over her face, Louis peers into the mirror hanging over the sink and scowls at her reflection. Her hair is lank, greasy looking after a day spent under Niall's cap and sweating from the heat of the garage. Her makeup is-- impeccable, really, because Louis is a goddamn wizard with eyeliner.

"What if we end up not getting along?" she says, turning her head to where Niall's come to stand in the doorway.

"It’s, what? Two days tops? So you go to the beach and get white girl wasted, probably fuck, and then you come home. And if it sucks that bad you can call me and I’ll come get you."

Biting her lip, Louis looks back to the mirror again. "I don't remember how to do this."

"Which is _exactly_ why you have to go."

"When the fuck did you get so wise?" she mutters, then straightens up. Squaring her shoulders, she nods once at her reflection and turns to Niall. "Right, let's do this."

"Good, because I just finished packing your shit and it wasn't easy."

 

 

Louis’ alarm goes off at a quarter to seven and that alone is enough to make her almost reconsider this whole venture.

Niall groans behind her, nose pressed against her shoulder and an arm around her waist. "Turn it the fuck off," he mutters into her skin.

It takes her a minute to find her phone from within the depths of her sheets, and she rolls out from under Niall's embrace to starfish on the other side of the bed. He grunts when her arm smacks the side of his face.

"I need to shower," she says.

"So get up."

Louis groans, long and loud as she rolls back towards Niall to burrow against his chest. Huffing out a sigh, he sits up and rubs at his eyes. "Fuck’s sake. Go shower already, I’ll start breakfast."

"You’re the _best_ ," she says, and doesn't even laugh when he bumps into the bedpost on his way out.

 

By the time she's out of the bathroom, she can smell bacon and coffee wafting in from the kitchen. Her hair is still fluffed out from the blow-dryer, just a little frizzy, and she finger-combs it quickly as she walks into the kitchen in only a long shirt and her underwear.

Niall is standing by the stove, t-shirt on but no pants, poking at the frying pan on the element.

It's nearly half past now but she knows from experience that Niall isn't going to let her leave without eating. The food is simple enough at least, bacon and eggs and a slice of toast each. Louis is too nervous to eat but she manages a few bites to stop Niall from eyeballing her across the table.

"Weather looks good, today," Niall says around a forkful of eggs.

Louis hums, nodding as she shreds her toast into pieces. "Yeah. Maybe I’ll get a proper tan this weekend."

"Try to avoid scarring any kids, though." He's grinning when Louis looks up at him, but she just rolls her eyes and kicks at him under the table in lieu of a reply. It's too early to be witty.

The rest of breakfast passes quietly. Niall clears the table while Louis rushes back to her room to get ready and when she comes back out it's to find him sprawled out on her couch and the dishes in the drying rack. She fusses over her bags (yes, plural, because even with Niall's expertise they couldn't fit everything) one last time while he goes to put his jeans back on and then he's back, taking them from her and leading the way out to the car as she locks up behind him.

 

  
There's no sign of Harry or her motorcycle when they pull up to the garage. Bressie and Liam are both there, though, and Louis busies herself crumpling up little bits of paper and throwing them at Liam while he goes over the invoices for today's pickups (it devolves into Liam picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder when she refuses to stop, carrying her into the break room and dropping her onto the couch for a 'time out').

By twenty after, she's beginning to think she's been stood up. What if it was all some kind of - sick prank, and Harry is already on the beach with her friends, drinking mimosas and laughing about the poor, dumb lesbian she'd met at the garage last night--

An engine revs outside, the sound of it unmistakable. Louis had long since stopped looking up every time she heard a bike out front but this one is too close to just be passing by. Sure enough, when she grabs her bags and heads out to the front of the garage, there's Harry.

The outfit is similar from yesterday’s, except this time the jeans are blue and she's ditched the leather for a slightly less ridiculous bomber jacket.

"Hii," Harry says when Louis comes out to meet her. "Sorry, it took me forever to find my other helmet."

"It’s fine," Louis says with a smile, the knot in her stomach finally loosening. She watches as Harry pulls her own helmet off, waves of curly brown hair cascading down her shoulders like a shampoo commercial.

Climbing off the bike, Harry nods towards the bags at Louis' feet. "This all your stuff?"

"Yeah, uh. I may have gotten a bit carried away.."

"Nah, you're fine. I can put the small one with mine but you'll have to wear your backpack, if that's okay?"

Louis laughs. "That was always the plan."

"Right, yeah, of course."

She’s nervous, Louis realizes, her cheeks gone red as she laughs a little awkwardly. Harry runs a hand through her hair, shaking it out a bit to hide her face and pushing it away again. It's adorable.

"Do I need anything else or are we all set?" Louis asks.

"Hm? Oh! No, we're good to go whenever you are. Here, I’ll just--" she grabs Louis' bag to stow it on the back of the bike with her own. Sliding the straps of her backpack over her shoulders, Louis is grateful, suddenly, for her frenzied Google search at two in the morning. She'd had the good sense to wear jeans after all, despite Niall's protests, with a denim jacket over her usual tank top.

Niall comes out by the time Louis is strapping on the helmet Harry hands her, Liam standing just behind him.

"It’s just a weekend, I don't need a bon voyage party," she says, eyeing them both.

They roll their eyes simultaneously, Liam coming forward to fuss with her chin straps. She lets him, mainly because she doesn't want to cause a scene in front of Harry this early.

"Keep your phone charged, and text us if you need anything," he says.

"Yes, _dad_." 

Ignoring her tone, Liam pulls her in for a hug that she can’t help leaning into it just a bit.

Niall is next. "Don’t puke in the fucking ocean, yeah?"

Harry's laugh startles the three of them, and she grins sheepishly when they turn as one to look back at her. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," she says, waving them off.

Louis goes in for a hug but Niall puts both hands on either side of her helmet instead, pressing his lips against the top hard enough that it sinks down on her head just a bit. She reaches out for a nipple twist instead and he pulls away with a yelp and a curse, one hand clasped to his chest.

"Call us when you get there, so we know you didn't crash and burn in some kind of road accident," he says.

"Oh, thanks." That was definitely a possibility she hadn't considered.

There's nothing left to do but go, Louis' lips twisting in a nervous smile as she turns to follow Harry back to the bike. Harry climbs on first and then Louis is swinging her leg over to sit behind her.

"Ever been on one before?" Harry asks.

"Once, but it was years ago."

"Okay, well. Keep your feet tucked in and hold on tight, and you'll be fine."

Louis does just that, her arms wrapping around Harry's middle so they're pressed close back-to-front. This close, she can smell the lingering scent of Harry's shampoo from her shower that morning.

And then Harry's revving the engine and the motorcycle comes to life beneath them. Louis' grip tightens briefly, her eyes sliding shut as Harry steers them back onto the road and into traffic. It feels like her heart is pounding in time with the vibrations between her legs, and she buries her face in Harry's shoulder until the fear passes.

It takes a few minutes for her to adjust, and by the time she looks up they're already on the highway. It's too loud to attempt conversation, between the roar of the engine and the wind whipping past, but for once Louis doesn't mind.

 

 

They pull off the highway into a truck stop sometime later, parking in front of a small diner Louis has never been to.

"Thought you might wanna stretch your legs a bit," Harry explains. "We still have a couple hours left."

Louis' hair has definitely suffered from being trapped under her helmet and she finger-combs it to the best of her ability, watching somewhat enviously as Harry pulls off her own and flips her hair like some kind of pro.

Harry straps the two helmets to the bike while Louis waits by the door, holding it open until they've both walked through. Inside is quiet, only a handful of customers spread out through the diner room and some kind of alternative radio station playing on the speakers above their head.

Louis chooses a booth by the window closest to where they've parked, Harry sliding in across from her. It's the first time they've been alone together.

"So..." Louis starts, tapping her fingers nervously against the table top.

"I’m really glad you decided to come with me," Harry says. Her smile is genuine when Louis looks up at her, but she doesn't _understand_.

"You don't even know me," she says again, brows furrowing.

Harry shrugs. "I know, but that's part of the fun, isn't it? You wouldn't be here if you didn't think so too, so at least that's one thing we have in common."

"I guess," Louis agrees with a slow smile of her own. "So do you do things like this often?"

"What, picking up strangers?"

"No, just. Being spontaneous."

Harry looks thoughtful. "Not as often as you might think," she says slowly. "I’m actually kind of a mama's girl."

"I _never_ would have guessed."

"Well my mom is also like, my best friend, so I do get away with a lot."

"That’s cute," Louis says, sitting up as the man from behind the counter finally decides to acknowledge their presence. He brings over two menus tucked under his arm, along with a pitcher of water and two glasses.

Louis waits for him to leave before flipping hers open, glancing across to see Harry doing the same.

"Have you never been here before?"

"Nope, just saw the sign as we were coming up on the exit."

"But you're definitely not spontaneous," Louis says dryly.

Harry grins down at her menu.

 

 

"So what are your friends like?" Louis asks once their food is in front of him. The service here is terrible; she definitely understands now why it's so damn empty despite the hour.

"Oh, um. Zayn's great, you two will probably get along really well. He's kind of quiet, at first? But don't let his face fool you, he's actually a complete idiot. They're all really great, honestly."

Louis arches an eyebrow. "You haven't had a negative thing to say about anything since I’ve met you. Are you a robot?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see," Harry says, her eyes widening as she realizes the implication of her words. Her cheeks go red but her smile doesn't waver even as she looks back down at her plate.

Louis watches her for a moment longer, the way her hair folds over her shoulder even after she's tucked it behind her ear. She sticks her tongue out when she eats, mouth stretching wide around the bite of her burger.

"S'there something on my face?" she asks when she catches Louis looking, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Nah, you're good."

The next time Louis looks up, there's a bit of ketchup in the corner of her lip. Feeling eyes on her again, Harry glances over and Louis mimes wiping at her mouth. Instead of mirroring her, like a normal person would, Harry flicks her tongue out to the side, ketchup disappearing under it.

"Did I get it all?"

"Uh. Yep, yes you did."

 

  
Despite knowing what to expect, it still takes a moment to adjust to the feel of the bike moving under her once they head back out on the road. It's warmer now, the sun high in the late-morning sky, and Louis can just tell that it's going to be a beautiful day.

It's nearly one by the time they pull up to the beachfront motel.

"So, this is the fancy resort your friends are staying at?" Louis asks Harry as she hands over her helmet.

Biting her lip, Harry shrugs. "I never said it was fancy." She pulls out her phone, presumably to tell her friends that they're here, and Louis takes a moment to get a good look at the place.

It's actually quite nice looking, at least from the outside. The walls are clean and painted in a bright sea green, and the lawn is trimmed neatly. None of the stairs look rickety at all, and even the sign is in tip-top shape. It's probably one of the best looking motels Louis has ever been to.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

Turning, Louis finds a boy with the prettiest face she's ever seen walking towards them, his eyes squinting against the glare of the sun. He’s covered in tattoos and sporting a long black 'Bob Marley' tank top and jean shorts, and there's a cigarette tucked behind his ear.

"Fuck off," Harry says with a laugh, dropping her bag to throw herself at him. He catches her easily, accepting her hug for a moment before pulling away and looking over at Louis.

"This is her?" he says, eyes flicking over her from head to toe. He doesn’t sound very impressed and something in Louis bristles at that, her eyes narrowing in a cool glare as she sticks her chin out defiantly.

But he just laughs. "Yeah, I can see why. She's definitely your type."

"I don't have a 'type', shut up," Harry huffs. She turns to Louis with an apologetic twist to her mouth, her smile a mile wide. "Don’t pay any attention to him, I told you he's an idiot."

"I’m sure I can handle him," Louis sniffs, resisting the urge to pat down her hair, and his grin grows wider. "I’m Louis," she adds, holding out a hand.

"Shit! Sorry, right. Zayn - Louis, Louis - Zayn." They shake hands quickly. Zayn bends to pick up Harry's bag from the ground, hefting it over his shoulder before extending his hand to take Louis' as well. She hesitates for a moment before handing it over, and his smile softens into something genuine.

"Right, so. You guys have the room at the end here," he starts to explain, turning and leading the way up the stairs. "It’s a king, since it's just the two of you. That okay?"

Louis' stomach flips as she exchanges a look with Harry, who ducks her chin to hide a smile as soon as their eyes meet. "Yep, that's fine," she says.

He unlocks the door and drops their bags on the bed, handing the key card to Harry. "Don’t lose it."

Harry makes a face at him as she slips it into her wallet. "Where’s everyone else?"

"Day drinking on the beach, obviously. I'm gonna have a smoke, come find me when you're finished." Pulling the cigarette from behind his ear, Zayn nods at them on his way out.

Shrugging out of her jacket and tossing it behind her, Louis drops onto the bed and folds her hands over her stomach. The mattress dips as Harry sprawls out beside her, long hair fanning out behind her.

"What are you thinking?" she asks.

"That I have no idea what I’m doing here," Louis says, startlingly honest. Harry starts to frown and Louis looks away from her, feeling guilty. "I just - it feels weird? I don't _know_ anyone here, not even you--"

"You’re here because I want you to be,” Harry says. Louis can’t quite make herself face her, but glancing across through the corner of her eye she can see Harry mirroring her pose. “Can that be enough, for now? My friends will like you, I swear, and _even_ if they don't then we can leave."

"I can't ask you to do that," Louis starts.

"You don't have to, I’m telling you."

Louis turns her face and finds Harry looking back with her brows drawn, that pretty little mouth frowning. It’s the first time Louis’ seen it and she doesn’t like it, it doesn’t look right on a face like Harry’s.

"Okay," she says.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Let's go get drunk, c'mon." Really, there’s no use getting maudlin about it now when she’s already made the trip. And since when has she ever relied on anyone else to have fun? Being around Harry has thrown her a little off-balance, she’ll admit, but the whole point of coming along was to get her groove back, and that’s not going to happen as long as she keeps fighting herself. 

Sitting up, Louis starts to undo her jeans, Harry's surprised squawk stopping her before she can pull them down.

"What are you doing?"

"Changing? It's too hot for jeans, and I’d just get sand all over them. What, were you just going to go out in that?" Louis asks, gesturing.

Harry's mouth folds into a deep frown. "What’s wrong with this?"

"Aside from the fact that you'd melt after twenty minutes in the sun?"

Shaking her head, Louis pulls off her jeans and turns to rifle through her bag for one of the pairs of shorts she'd packed. When she looks up, Harry is still staring at her, brows furrowed.

"See something you like?" Louis teases. 

Blinking, Harry shakes her head and starts peeling off her own layers. She's wearing a plaid shirt under the jacket, and another t-shirt under that. Louis has no idea how she's managed in them for so long.

She forgets what she's meant to be doing when Harry starts to pull off her own jeans - her legs go on forever, hips rounder than they'd first appeared.

Louis looks away before she's caught, focusing on fastening the button on her shorts. She busies herself by pretending to look for something in her bag until Harry coughs once to get her attention.

"All set?" Harry's slipping a side purse over her shoulders when Louis looks at her, a pair of oversized sunglasses tucked into her hair.

Louis grabs the hat sitting on top her bag and slips it on, turns the bill backwards, and grabs her own purse. "Yep, let's go."

 

  
Zayn is sitting at the bottom of the stairs when they get outside, working through what must be his second cigarette since he left them. Harry drops onto the step behind him, brackets him with her legs and wraps her arms around his shoulders. Immediately, Zayn stubs out his cigarette, gets his hands under the back of her knees and pushes up to his feet.

She whoops loudly, kicking her feet and attracting the attention of passers-by, but they might as well be invisible for all that Harry notices them.

It's a short walk to the beach. Zayn sets Harry down as soon as they reach the sand, and she reaches out to take Louis' hand once she's back on her feet.

"C'mon," she says, grinning brightly. She turns before Louis can respond, running towards one of the tables shaded by a fan in the distance, and Louis has no choice but to follow.

Skidding to a stop, Harry nearly faceplants into someone's lap, only Louis' grip on her hand pulling her back at the last second. There are five people already at the table, three girls and two guys and, judging by the glasses surrounding them, they're all well on their way to drunk (if not already there).

"Watch it, brat!" the girl - woman, really - says, but there's a smile on her face and she's already rising halfway out of her seat to pull Harry in for a hug. It goes on like that for a minute, Harry dragging Louis along behind as she goes around the table to greet everyone with a hug and a kiss.

"So? You gonna introduce us or what?" the first woman says once they're finally pulling out their own seats.

"I was getting there," Harry pouts. "Guys, this is Louis. Louis, these are Lou and her twin sister Sam, Cher, Caroline, Jonny, and Danny."

Louis feels a little awkward with all eyes on her but she forces a smile. "Hey."

"Don’t worry, we ordered another round when Zayn texted that you were coming over. You'll feel better after a couple drinks," Sam says, winking at her.

 

She's not wrong. The server arrives with two pitchers and some clean glasses just as Zayn finally shows up, and conversation flows easily around the table. It's still a bit weird, considering Louis is the only one who doesn't know any of the stories they're telling, but Harry leans in close to whisper explanations in her ear so she isn't too left out.

"So, Louis," Jonny says, after things have started to quiet down a bit. Louis looks up from where Harry is drawing shapes into her palm. "What the _hell_ made you decide to follow this one-" he nods his chin towards Harry, "-halfway across the state?"

They’re all watching her now, curiosity written clear across their faces. Harry looks a little curious too but her eyes are much softer than the shrewd gazes of her friends.

"Hm, I’m not sure," Louis starts. Her head is a bit fuzzy because she hasn't eaten since seven and she's spent the last hour drinking mimosas, and Harry's been leaning towards her since they sat down. Her smile is timid when Louis looks at her, fingertip caught on her bottom lip. "I guess it was the dimples."

The rest of the table starts up again at that, something about her being ensnared by Harry's 'feminine wiles', but Louis tunes them all out. She only has eyes for Harry and the half-bashful, half-smug quirk of her lips as she looks down at her lap.

Zayn's gaze is knowing when Louis finally turns away to find him watching.

 

Eventually someone realizes that it would probably be a good idea to eat something, and they break off into pairs and trios to march across the beach in search of food. Harry is either a total lightweight or one hell of an actress because she keeps stumbling into Louis' side, but the flush on her face lends more credence to the former.

"Are you having fun?" she asks, green eyes blinking wide as she glances over.

Louis laughs. "Yeah, your friends are great."

"Mmm. Told you they would be. Oh, hotdogs!"

Sure enough, there's a hotdog vendor just up ahead, Lou and Sam already waiting in line. Harry links their arms and starts marching towards them determinedly, Louis offering half-hearted apologies to all the people they end up cutting in front of the line.

"Poor little Harry," Sam says, shaking her head when she sees her, her smile soft. Louis knows the feeling.

" _Hey_ ," Harry says belatedly. "I’m fine," she insists.

"Of course you are," Lou says, combing a hand through her hair.

Scrunching up her face, Harry leans into the touch nonetheless, at least until the line moves up and she stumbles forward after Lou pulls away. Louis steadies her and Harry sighs, hunching down to drop her head on Louis' shoulder. It can't be all that comfortable for her, but Louis isn't going to point that out.

They find a small bench to sit on after they've gotten their food, the four of them pressed in together with Sam half on her sister's lap. Zayn joins them after a while, sits at Harry's feet with a basket of fries and chicken skewers he'd bought from one of the food trucks parked down the road.

 

Louis doesn't remember dozing off but she wakes with her head on Harry's shoulders and Harry's fingers combing through her hair. Sam and Lou are taking turns taking pictures of each other, and Harry laughs when Lou stumbles back into a passing family, clapping a hand over her mouth before looking down to find Louis watching her.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Nah, I was already up. You make one hell of a pillow," Louis says, sitting up. Harry's hand falls from around her shoulders and she tries not to miss it.

"So I’ve heard. We should head back though, maybe sleep a bit before dinner? Lou said there's gonna be a bonfire, later."

"Sick," Louis agrees, stretching her limbs as Harry gets to her feet beside her. Looking around, she realizes something is missing. "Where’s Zayn?"

Harry rolls her eyes, face scrunching. "Went back to hang out with the boys. Too much estrogen or something."

Humming, Louis holds out her hands for Harry to pull her up. She hadn't realized how tired she was until now, limbs still feeling heavy. "Do we need to wait for them?" she asks, nodding towards Sam and Lou.

"Nah, they're fine," Harry says even as she starts waving her arm to catch their attention. She huffs when they still don't look up, turning and looping her arm through Louis' instead. "Forget it, let's go. I'll text them when we get there."

 

They’re quiet when they get back to their room. Kicking her shoes off, Louis faceplants on what she's decided to be her side of the bed, groaning when her face sinks into the pillow.

"How m’I this tired? We didn't even _do_ anything."

The mattress dips as Harry stretches out beside her. "It was a long trip," she says.

"I guess."

It should feel awkward, the two of them here alone. But Harry's presence beside her is comforting and somehow familiar, like she's an old friend and not someone Louis only met two days ago. Closing her eyes, Louis smiles when she feels Harry's fingers brush against the back of her wrist and turns her hand so that her palm is facing out. Harry's fingers slot between hers and Louis falls asleep just like that, Harry's quiet breathing the soundtrack that lulls her under.

 

  
There's hair tickling under her nose when Louis wakes, someone's weight pressed along her side. It takes a moment for her to orient herself, eyes flickering open to a room that is most definitely not her own. Rolling sideways, she smiles a little at the way Harry frowns in her sleep at the absence and eases slowly off the bed to avoid disturbing her.

It's nearing late evening, the sun much lower in the sky. Fishing her phone out of her bag, Louis slips out of the room and sits down on the stairs as she dials a familiar number.

Niall picks up on the first ring. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, m'good. Just woke up."

"Damn, you move fast," Niall says, sounding genuinely surprised and maybe a little impressed.

"What? No, we took a nap. You're disgusting."

Niall's laughter is familiar and comforting, and the tension Louis hadn't even noticed eases slowly out of her shoulders.

"Really though, how are you?" he asks. Fucking mind reader.

"I’m just - she's really nice, Niall," Louis whispers. Leaning forward, she buries her face in her knees with the phone pressed tight to her ear.

"So? That's a good thing, you idiot. Stop being such a weirdo and just enjoy it."

Easy for him to say, Louis thinks grumpily. He's right though - he always is, the bastard. Louis had forgotten what this felt like, the butterflies and the constant, terrifying giddiness. Being around Harry makes her want to frolic in a field full of fucking daisies, and she has no idea how this happened.

"Louis," Niall says, firmly, drawing her attention back to the present.

"I know, I know. Shut up," she says, the words muffled by her knees. Sighing, she sits up and brushes her hair out of her face. "I _know_ , Niall. I'm fine, okay? I'll text you later or tomorrow, or something."

He sighs. "Yeah, alright."

Hanging up, Louis takes a breath as she stares out at the cars passing by in the street, people walking on the sidewalks. It's another minute before she stands to head back inside.

 

  
Harry is on her back, knees up and phone in hand as she taps out a text, when Louis slides open the door to the room.

"Hey, where'd you go?" she asks, looking up.

Louis waves her phone, shrugging. "Didn’t want to wake you." Sitting on the edge of the bed, she curls her fingers around Harry's ankle and feels her flex her foot in response.

"Are you hungry? Zayn says they're gonna go for dinner soon. Apparently there's a restaurant nearby that's _really_ good."

Louis isn't in the mood for company, not just yet, but she doesn't want to say so. Shrugging indifferently, she turns away from Harry to stare out at the bathroom, unseeing.

Harry sits up immediately, careful not to dislodge Louis' grip on her ankles as she scoots closer.

"Are you - okay? Did something happen?"

The concern in her voice makes Louis' stomach twist with guilt. Harry came out here to be with her friends and here Louis is, taking up all her time.

"You can go without me, it’s fine. I'm just not really hungry yet."

" _Louis_."

It’s not fair that Harry already has this kind of pull on her. Sighing, she turns to face her and finds Harry worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she waits for an explanation.

"I just. I haven't done - this - in a long time," she says, gesturing between them with a hand. It’s a little embarrassing to admit it out loud, to even acknowledge this _thing_ between them before anything has really happened. Louis isn’t usually this awkward, but half a day around Harry and it’s like she’s experiencing her very first crush all over again with no idea how to deal with it.

"Okay...” Harry says slowly. "Did I do something? Have I been like, coming on too strong or something?"

Her pulse jumps at that, the confirmation that whatever this is isn’t just in Louis’ head. "No! No, you're great. And your friends have all been _really_ nice.."

"So what’s the problem?"

Harry's eyes are wide, maybe even a little hurt. Her shoulders are hunched like she's trying to make herself smaller, and Louis feels like the biggest asshole for ruining this.

"I guess I was just expecting something a little... _less_." How does she describe what she’s feeling without sounding like either an ungrateful jerk or some kind of pervert? She squeezes Harry's ankle where it's still held in her hand, and when she looks up again Harry's expression is a little more understanding.

"Why don't we go eat somewhere else? We can meet up with the others for the bonfire."

Relieved, Louis nods. "Yeah, okay. That works."

"Good."

Things are still a little weird as they grab their bags and head out. Louis feels like maybe she's broken something and she has no idea how to fix it.

Harry, for her part, seems determined to make things go back to the way they were before Louis' freakout. She tells stories about Lou's daughter - her goddaughter - Lux, and how Harry had been teaching her to swim the last time they'd come out to the beach.

"My youngest sisters were a pain to teach," Louis says with a soft smile, shaking her head at the memory. "They were either terrified of the water or too impatient to listen to our instructions."

"Yeah? How old are they now?"

"They’ll be ten this year."

Harry nods, and silence falls between them but this time it's a lot less awkward. Biting her lip, Louis steps off the sidewalk into the grass to avoid incoming traffic as she comes to a stop. She leads Harry to a bench further away from the street and waits for her to take a seat.

"I haven't seen them in months. I don't really have the money to go home as much as I’d like, but I’ve been saving up to do something special for Christmas."

"Oh, that's - that must be hard."

"Well, yeah, but I mean. It is what it is, y'know?" Louis shrugs, lips quirking in an attempt at a smile that she just can't manage. "I don't like asking them for help, not after I made such a big deal about doing things on my own."

Moving out of her parents' home was one of the hardest things she'd ever done, but things couldn't carry on the way they were. All the fights with her father - it was making everyone miserable, Louis most of all. One of them had to leave, and Louis wasn't going to let it be him.

"You’re stubborn," Harry says, perhaps sensing that there's more that Louis isn't saying but knowing it isn't her place to pry. Instead she nudges Louis with her shoulder, coaxing a true smile out of her.

"Well, Niall says so. _Often_ ," Louis adds, rolling her eyes at the thought of him.

"He’d know."

Louis' mouth drops open in mock-offense. "Wow, okay. Thanks."

"It’s not always a bad thing!" Harry rushes to defend, clutching at Louis' arm. "It means you have, like, conviction. I'm not always good at that."

Louis feels her cheeks heat up. "I wouldn't go that far--"

"No, really. I changed my major three times before I figured school just wasn't for me. I'm never home, not if I can help it. I dunno, it's just like - the world is so big, y'know?"

"You’re one of those 'backpack through Europe' types, aren't you?" Louis says with a wry smile.

"One hundred percent. I'm just waiting for my sister to finish her degree, and then we're gonna go together."

"That’s cute."

"Shut up," Harry says, standing and pulling Louis to her feet. "Come on, I’m starving."

 

  
They end up eating at a small Mexican-themed restaurant, the two of them at a table in the back shoved up against a wall. The place is _packed_ so it takes a little longer for them to get their food, but it also means Louis gets to spend more time alone with Harry.

It's easier when it's just the two of them, less pressure. Harry's friends are great but Louis feels like she has to prove herself worthy when they're around, like they expect her to be something special because Harry chose her. Louis hates expectations.

But with Harry there are none. They're both blank slates, slowly filling up with knowledge of each other. It doesn't _feel_ like it, though, and that's maybe the best part about this. Talking to Harry doesn't feel like meeting someone for the first time, even with all the new things they're learning about each other. Harry tells her about her mother's wedding and it feels like another piece of a puzzle just slotting into place, the big picture becoming more familiar.

Normally Louis loves to talk about herself - at least on the surface. She'll talk for ages about how her day went and or tell a funny story about something that happened recently. But the big things, the important things, those are much harder. So when Harry starts talking about her experiences at school, how she loved the classes but was never interested enough in one thing to stick to it long term, Louis is surprised to find herself willingly opening up.

"I guess I had kind of the same problem?" she starts, picking apart her napkin to have something to do with her hands. "I never really planned ahead in high school, even when everyone else was, so when I got to college it was just like, whatever, I’ll figure it out eventually, right? Except I didn't, not really. I faked it for a while, but it was just - too much, and I hated it. So I dropped out."

Everything sort of spiraled from there - the fighting with her dad and her eventually moving out on her own. Niall got her the job at the garage and Louis learned to appreciate the quiet.

"Dad and I started working things out after a while, because mom hated us fighting and I missed them, but things haven't really... Been the same."

When she looks up, Louis is so grateful not to see pity or sympathy or any of its cousins on Harry's face. If anything Harry seems a little impressed, which is the last thing Louis would have expected.

"That - sucks," she says bluntly, startling a laugh out of Louis, "but you're kind of amazing. My mom has always been used to me being the 'wild child', y'know? Gemma's the model student. But I don't know if I could have done all of that, if she wasn't."

Louis doesn't feel impressive, but she smiles anyway because the sentiment is still appreciated. "We should probably get going," she says, a clear subject change. Those bruises don't hurt as much as they used to, but it doesn't mean she wants to sit around poking at them.

"Right, yeah. Lou says they've started to set up for the bonfires tonight. But we don't have to go if you don't want..."

"No, I’m good. This was nice," Louis says, cheeks burning as her lips curve into a slow smile.

"Good, I’m glad. Let's go."

 

  
The bonfire is amazing. By the time the sun goes down they're all sitting around a large flame with a cooler full of alcohol and a bag of marshmallows tossed back and forth between them. Someone - Jonny, Louis thinks - had the foresight to bring blankets so they're huddled together in groups to share the warmth.

Zayn and Caroline are facetiming with Caroline's daughter beside them, while Harry sits in Louis' lap with her head down as Louis' fingers weave her hair into a simple French braid. Her own hair hasn't been long enough to style for years now but she has four sisters' worth of experience. Harry's hair is softer than it looks, parts easily between Louis' fingers.

Harry sits back when she's finished, slouching so she's curled comfortably in Louis' lap. She tangles their fingers together where Louis' arms are wrapped around her waist, turns her face to press her mouth against Louis' chin.

"Hi," she says, grinning slow and sweet when Louis turns to look at her.

A bag of marshmallows land on them, Harry yelping in surprise as they both turn toward the culprit. From beneath the blanket shared with her sister, Sam smirks at them from across the fire.

Harry huffs, eyes narrowed in a glare as she hands them off to Zayn beside them before settling back against Louis' chest.

Louis' mouth twitches. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I - sorry," Harry says, picking at the edge of their blanket. Louis stills her fingers, pressing her palm flat against Harry's hands until they've stopped moving.

"Hey," she says softly, watching as Harry turns her face up towards her. She leans in slowly, enough to broadcast her intent, but Harry doesn't move except to tilt her chin incrementally, lips parting well before Louis reaches her.

They're so soft, sweet and a little sticky from the marshmallows she'd been eating earlier. Harry's hand comes up to curl around her neck and Louis twists so that they're nearly sitting next to each other on the small chair, the arm wedged against her back uncomfortably but she can't bring herself to care.

Harry's lips feel just as familiar as the rest of her, like finding a new place to call home. Her breath puffs against her face as she breathes out when they pull away, Louis' eyes fluttering open in time to catch the way Harry's mouth stretches in a wide smile that might just split her whole face apart.

Someone wolf-whistles behind them and Harry groans, hiding her face in Louis' neck, but Louis just grins. Her heart is pounding and she wonders if Harry can feel it where she's pressed against her chest. It's like someone lit a spark and suddenly all her nerve-endings are ignited, like she's coming alive for the first time.

Harry surfaces after a minute and they grin stupidly at each other, Louis' fingers tracing the side of her face. She can't stop touching now, wants to learn Harry this way too, if she'll have her. When they kiss again it's longer, deeper, Louis catching the bitter taste of burnt marshmallow from Harry's tongue.

They spend the night like that, stealing kisses between breaks in conversation and making faces at anyone who mocks them for it. By the time they're stumbling back to their room, a little drunk and definitely overtired, it's well past three in the morning. They take turns washing up and getting changed in the bathroom, and then climb under the sheets of the bed.

"Goodnight," Louis whispers into the dark, laying on her side facing Harry. It's too dark to make out anything but Harry's silhouette, but that's enough to see the way it moves closer as Harry leans in to brush their lips together.

"Goodnight," she murmurs, mouth moving against Louis'. Louis doesn't quite remember, but she's pretty sure they fall asleep just like that.

 

 

"Well, aren't you two adorable," is the first thing Caroline says to them the next morning. It's closer to afternoon, actually, the whole group meeting up for brunch.

Much like the first time they'd slept together Louis had woken up that morning to Harry sprawled out against her, except this time it didn't send her into a nervous panic. Harry's braid had come undone so Louis had just laid there, running her fingers through Harry's hair until she slowly began to stir.

There was no awkwardness, just shared smiles and quick, close-lipped good morning kisses before they once again took turns in the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead. And then Louis had crawled into Harry's lap and pushed her back against the bed and they spent a good twenty minutes lazily making out until Harry's phone went off with a series of texts.

"Yes, I think we are, don't you?" Louis says now, grinning bright as she turns to Harry beside her. Their fingers are linked under the table, Harry's hand on her thigh.

Zayn groans. "Are you going to be like this all day?" he whines, but there's a small smile in the corner of his mouth.

"Get used to it, Malik," Harry says loftily, sniffing as she lets go of Louis' hand to reach across the table for a croissant off the tray and a couple of fruit.

Louis' heart squeezes at the thought of this - of Harry - continuing beyond today. It's not something they've talked about and Louis doesn't want to bring it up before she has to, but after everything that _has_ been said it would be strange to part ways as soon as they got back upstate.

"Just because you're not used to sleeping alone," Sam starts from further down the table. Zayn makes a noise of affront, barely audible over the sound of Harry's startled laughter.

"Yeah, at least one of us is getting laid this weekend," her sister adds, winking over at them. Harry's laughter fades into an embarrassed squawk and she nearly pelts the orange segment in her hand at Lou, but remembers herself at the last minute.

Louis looks back towards her plate, face hot. When she chances a glance up, Zayn is looking back at her, a knowing smirk on his face. Unlike Harry, Louis has no problem throwing food.

Caroline stops Zayn from retaliating before the two of them can start what Louis is certain would be the most epic food fight since Horan vs. Tomlinson 2012. It's probably for the best; the last thing Louis wants to do is embarrass herself and get them all thrown out.

 

  
Much like yesterday, they all split up after brunch. The twins want to go tanning and Caroline and Cher want to go shopping, and the boys all have 'plans' that they refuse to divulge. Louis is pretty sure she doesn't want to know, anyway.

After last night, the thought of being alone with Harry again is both thrilling and daunting in equal measures. Tomorrow they go back home and Louis wants to make the most of whatever time they have left. Hopefully this isn't the end, but if it is, she's not going to waste it.

"So--" she starts, threading her fingers between Harry's as they walk back toward the motel together.

"I was thinking we could go for a walk down the boardwalk? We never got a chance to see it yesterday."

"Oh! Yeah, that's cool." Louis isn't sure if she's disappointed or relieved. Maybe a bit of both?

But then Harry smiles slow and bright like the sun coming out over the clouds, and everything else fades away.

It's not a long walk, everything here so close together. The streets are busy and there's a ton of foot traffic so they walk with their shoulders pressed together, linked hands tucked behind their backs.

There are so many little stores and stalls tucked along the boardwalk, and Harry seems to want to stop by every single one of them. She buys them matching bracelets at a handmade jewellery stand, fixes Louis' around her wrist right then and there and insists that Louis does the same. It feels like permanence, like a promise or at least the hint of one. Louis takes Harry's face in both hands and kisses her after, uncaring of the people around them.

The next vendor they approach is a flower stand. Louis' nose wrinkles at all the scents mixing together but Harry seems right at home. She leaves Louis at the front to walk around and Louis watches as she stops to sniff or touch every plant she comes across, something warm and soft uncurling in her belly at the sight of her.

"You know how to weave flower crowns, don't you?" Louis says dryly when Harry comes back empty handed.

Harry grins. "Why, do you want one?" she links their hands together once more, tugging Louis along as she moves on to the next stall.

The warm feeling in her stomach grows stronger, Louis squeezing Harry's fingers in her grip. "God, you are such a _hippie_."

Harry stops abruptly, spinning to face Louis with a teasing smile lifting one side of her mouth. "And what's wrong with peace and love?" she asks, using their joined hands to pull Louis in for another kiss before she can respond. It's quick, both of them all-too aware of the way they're disrupting the traffic of people around them. But what's the point in being a tourist if you don't get to be a little annoying about it?

They get Polaroid’s taken at another stall a little further down and Louis tucks the envelope with their prints carefully into her bag. There's one picture, taken when they weren't quite paying attention because they were too busy laughing at each other, smiles huge and eyes squinted - Louis already knows exactly where she'll be keeping it when she gets home.

Afterwards, Louis drags Harry across the street for frozen yogurt. The store is busy as hell because it's Sunday and everyone is out with their kids. Louis dares Harry into getting at least one of every single topping and nearly falls over laughing at the face she makes once she's tasted it.

"It’s not - bad," Harry tries to defend, even though she looks like she's eaten a pile of dirt.

"Oh my god," Louis gasps out, shaking her head and taking the cup away from her. Discretely dropping it into one of the trash cans, she holds out her own instead. "Here, we'll share."

 

 

The sky has gotten darker when they step outside after, ominous clouds and thick humid air all pointing toward one hell of a storm on its way. The motel isn't very far so they decide to head back before it hits; the last thing they want is to be trapped outside when there's no telling how long it could last.

They should have waited.

The first clap of thunder sounds when they're less than a block away, but rain is already coming down in fat, heavy drops. Anyone who's been outside for more than a few minutes is completely drenched and the walk back from the froyo place is definitely _much_ longer.

Their clothes are plastered to their skin by the time they make it up to their room. Harry rushes into the bathroom to grab some towels but Louis is already pulling her shirt up over her head and letting it fall to the floor with a wet thump.

"So much for the - beach," Harry says, voice trailing off as she pauses in the doorway with a pile of towels in hand.

Louis shrugs as she walks over. "It’s California, we can go any time, right?" Taking the first one off the pile, she rubs it over her hair quickly. One of the many advantages of short hair is that it doesn't take nearly as long to dry. Harry's, on the other hand--

Louis covers her head with the towel when it becomes apparent that she has no intention of doing so herself, wraps it around the length of her hair and squeezes to get the excess water out, hand moving from the nape of her neck to the ends of her hair. A small puddle forms at their feet when she's finished and she drops the already soaked towel over it to sponge it back up.

Harry's still watching her when she looks up, her eyelashes clumped together from the combination of rain water and poor mascara. Her eyes drop to Louis' lips without an ounce of subtlety, and Louis smiles in amusement as she leans to brush their lips together.

She makes a small, startled sound when Harry's hands curl around her waist, fingers still cold from the rain. Louis' arms go around Harry's neck as the kiss deepens and she sighs at the first touch of Harry's tongue against her own. Together, they stumble back towards the bed until Louis bumps into the mattress with the back of her knees. 

Harry pulls away just long enough to pull her own shirt off and Louis only gets the barest glimpse of bare skin before she's back and pressing Louis down against the mattress.

Louis doesn't sit right away - her shorts are too damp from the rain - and Harry pulls away with a furrow between her brows, misinterpreting.

"Is this--? Did you not want--?"

Shaking her head quickly, Louis grins. "No, its fine, come here," she says, pulling Harry back in. Lifting her hips, she reaches between them to fumble her zipper open and pushes her shorts down one-handed. Harry catches on quickly and does the same, and then they're climbing back up on the bed.

Heart pounding in her chest, Louis flips them so Harry is under her and grins at the surprised squeak she makes. It's still light enough to see without the aid of a lamp so she takes a moment to catalogue as much as she can about the body beneath her.

Harry is slim and long, her hips narrow, like a model. Her knees are a little knobby, and her breasts are so small they barely fit into the palm of Louis' hand when she removes her bra. Her ass, on the other hand, is a perfect handful.

Leaning down, Louis stretches herself out above Harry and kisses her again, slow and sweet. Her mouth moves from Harry's lips to slide along the side of her neck, over her shoulder, kisses painted into her skin until she reaches the center of her chest. Their eyes meet when she looks up, Harry's arms above her head and a gentle smile curving her lips. 

She gasps at the first touch of Louis' mouth to her breast, arches her back and curls a leg around her hip to keep her close. Her face is flushed when Louis kisses her way back up, and she grins against her mouth, hands coming down to cup the sides of Louis' face. 

Harry is completely open, unafraid to express herself as Louis works her body. She spreads her legs wide and rolls her hips when Louis' fingers slide into her, head thrown back and moans soft and low and frequent. Louis can't help but kiss her, foreheads pressed together. Harry is _so_ beautiful like this, green eyes bright and cheeks pink. She grinds against Louis' hand, sighs into her mouth, and her whole face opens up, mouth curling into the sweetest smile when she clenches around her.

 

After, Harry spreads Louis open and presses her mouth against her. She's relentless, tongue working in quick little flicks against her clit as she slides two fingers inside her, and Louis can't help but close her legs around her head, toes curling as she shakes apart.

" _Fuck,_ " she says when she's caught her breath, Harry's mouth still shining as she grins up at her from between her legs. She crawls slowly back up Louis' body, kisses her just deep enough for Louis to taste herself on Harry's tongue, and then rolls to the side to curl up beside her. 

"Thank you," Louis says when there's nothing but the sound of the rain against the window, the quiet huff of Harry breathing next to her. 

She doesn't just mean this, the two of them here together. The Louis from two days ago had been lost. She'd forgotten what this felt like, chasing a silly dream just because she could, daring to want things even if they seemed outside her reach, taking a leap of faith. That Louis had all but given up, but now?

Now, hope doesn't seem so terrifying.

 

 

They surface at some point for dinner, ordering takeout later in the evening. The rain has let up but it's still too wet to bother going anywhere, so Harry texts the others to tell them she'll see them in the morning before they leave.

Clothes seem like a waste of time and effort, so they end up answering the door wrapped up in the sheet from the bed. The scandalized look on the delivery man's face is definitely worth it. 

Harry eats more of Louis' food than Louis does, smirking as she licks her fingers clean afterward. Louis is pretty sure she's meant to find that disgusting but instead her eyes go dark and then their takeout containers are abandoned completely. 

 

Waking up on Monday, the sheets pressed against them and Harry's naked body curled against hers, Louis knows that she doesn't want to go. Somehow, in the span of just two days (and she can't believe it's only been that long, feels like the last forty-eight hours have lasted a lifetime) Harry has become a fixture and Louis doesn't know how she's meant to go back to her life before her.

Harry, who is all smiles as they pack up their things and load up her bike, running around hugging everyone goodbye even though she'll be seeing them again soon. 

Louis waits for her on the back of her bike, Polaroid pictures still safely tucked inside her backpack. If nothing else, she'll have them as a reminder of what this weekend meant to her, to them. 

She smiles when Harry walks up and kisses her, eyes closed as she tries to memorize the shape of Harry's lips. It feels no time at all when Harry pulls away to take the helmet Louis hands her but there's no way to put this off any longer. 

Wrapping her hands around her waist, Louis lays her head on her shoulder as Harry starts the ignition and puts them back on the road towards home.


End file.
